1. Field of the Invention
A sewage handling system, a cover assembly for a sewage basin, a basin assembly, and control accessories disposed within a sewage basin for receiving and distributing sewage via a pump housed in the basin.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, sewage may be distributed from a sewage source to a desired location by gravity flow or by pumping. For example, for residential sewage, all sources of sewage in the residence may be located higher than the public sewer or septic tank connection, and the sewage may be transported to the connection solely by gravity flow. However, if a sewage source is located at a lower elevation than the sewer line connection as often occurs, it becomes necessary to pump sewage uphill to the connection. For example, a toilet may be installed in a bathroom located in a basement where the sewer line connection is located higher than the toilet.
Sewage basin assemblies may be installed to deliver sewage from a source to the desired sewer line connection. These assemblies typically include a container having an inlet, where sewage is received from the sewage source, and a pump for pumping received sewage to an outlet of the container, the outlet for connection to a sewer line leading to the public sewer or septic tank. For example, Liberty Pumps of Bergen, N.Y. manufactures and sells sewage basin assemblies as the “370-Series” that comprise a polyethylene basin with an inlet nub adapted to be connected to a sewage source, a cover for the top of the basin, a pump mounted in the basin, and an outlet pipe extending from the pump to outside the cover. Such basins are rotationally molded in a multi-part mold having a part-line parallel to the basin bottom that dissects the body inlet nub. The various components also may be sold individually for custom assembly at a job site. The basin may be installed immediately beneath the foundation, for example, such that the top of the basin is flush with the foundation slab, or located underground beyond the foundation and backfilled with soil. In either case, the inlet to the ejector system is in connection with the sewage source, and the outlet is in connection with a line running to the public sewer, a septic tank or alternate sewage treatment device.
Heretofore, certain patents and publications have disclosed sewage basin assemblies, and related structures such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,410 of Cook et al., the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This patent discloses a sewage ejector system including a basin and top cover. The basin body thereof includes a generally cylindrical wall, a closed bottom, and an open top.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,430,757 of Pohler discloses a self-contained bathroom waste collection and disposal unit having a reservoir configured to operably retain a pump and a float-operated switch. The reservoir cooperates with a primary cover having plumbing and electrical access ports, and a secondary cover free of connecting ports that is readily removed to permit convenient access to the reservoir, including the switch (e.g., to replace the switch) and the pump inlet (e.g., to remove clogs). The unit further includes integral, molded features for retaining the switch and pump in an operable position, such as e.g., a boss on the cover prevents displacement of the pump, and molded-in torque stops prevent rotational movement of the pump; thereby absorbing the torque of the pump as it operates and correspondingly reducing stress on plumbing joints. The unit further includes molded-in strengthening collars and recesses sized to assist in transporting and installing the unit.
Although these and other sewage basin assemblies may operate in a satisfactory manner with respect to the basic sewage handling function, there is a need for better accessibility to the internal components of the sewage basins, and for a greater ease of assembly and adjustability of certain components. Opportunities remain for improvement of sewage basin assemblies in order to address problems heretofore unsolved. There is a need for a sewage basin assembly having in particular a cover that provides improved fastening means, gaskets and seals, electrical connections, and plumbing connections, in order to simplify the installation, plumbing, wiring, and general assembly thereof. There is also a need to provide a sewage handling system having a lower height such that in circumstances in which such enclosure is to be placed in a pit, such pit may be relatively shallow, thereby enabling installation of such enclosure in a location where the soil depth is minimal, or where the pit must be hewn in bedrock. There is also a need to provide a sewage handling system having modular electrical control components and mounting hardware therefor, in order to simplify and reduce the time of assembly of such components into the sewage handling system.